


Friendship (The Worst Lie Ever Told)

by Tokyo_the_Glaive



Series: Tumblr Shorts [8]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining, Overly Protective Retainers, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-10 02:38:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6935473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tokyo_the_Glaive/pseuds/Tokyo_the_Glaive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leo and Takumi are friends--at least, that's what they tell each other.</p><p>They each try to hide their true feelings  for fear of rejection.  After all, what are they chances they both like each other?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friendship (The Worst Lie Ever Told)

**Author's Note:**

> For a tumblr prompt~

Leo had been terribly self-conscious as he walked to the mess hall and strapped on an apron to cook.What would Father think?Were others in the army talking about him behind his back?Was Xander judging him from afar for acting a commoner?—

But Takumi was there with him more often than not, bragging about the game he had bagged earlier in the day and his skill as a master marksman.Takumi lessened the blow to Leo’s pride that came from scurrying around in the kitchen like some newly-hired maid, terrified to confuse the salt and the sugar, though his presence couldn’t completely take the edge off.

Takumi.There was a friendship Leo had never thought he’d earn.

 _Friendship_.

Leo swallowed as he took down a heavy metal pot from off of a shelf.At his instruction, Takumi sat nearby, building up a fire over which to cook.Outside, the sky burned a vibrant, unearthly blue, the likes of which Leo had never seen in Nohr.He didn’t think he’d ever get used to this place—wherever it was.The thought of being in another astral plane didn’t hold much meaning to him.

Leo rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.It was early in the day, though the sun shone bright and high.Takumi claimed he had been awake for hours, yet his yawns and the dark circles under his eyes spoke to the contrary.Leo wouldn’t point that out, though.Takumi was up with him _for_ him—to help him make the stew they had talked so much about—and Leo was grateful for the company and for his friendship.

Leo excused himself at the thought to go fill the pot he’d chosen with water.There was a stream just outside, but Leo took his time, rinsing the pot out once and filling it slowly.When he returned, he set it over the fire by Takumi.

“We need to make the stock first,” Leo said.Takumi blinked at him, pupils shrunk down to nothing from staring at the fire.Beads of sweat sat near his hairline, nearly obscured by his bangs, and his face was flushed from the heat.

Takumi smiled, and Leo’s insides twisted.“All right,” Takumi said, “how do we do that?”

“You take— _aaaahhhh_!!!”

Leo couldn’t help it—he saw something out the window, and he screamed and ducked.Takumi’s eyes widened before he ducked, too, flattening himself against the ground right beside Leo.

“What is it?” Takumi asked, after a long moment of silence in which nothing happened.

Leo, still shell-shocked and more than a little embarrassed, didn’t want to answer.

“A demon,” he said, whispering.

“What?”

Louder, Leo repeated, “A demon.”

Takumi sat up, confused.“A demon?” he asked.He looked to the window where Leo had seen what had scared him so much.Leo paled to look on the thing again.It had been so horrific to see…

Takumi’s laugh nearly echoed, it was so loud.“Oh, that’s too good,” he said, grinning.“It’s all right, Leo, you can get up.It’s safe.”

“Is that thing still out there?Should we—”

“Oboro’s not a thing, she’s my retainer,” Takumi said, still grinning.“Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Leo peeled himself off of the ground, face red from shame.The thing—Oboro—stood outside the window, wearing a scowl fit to kill a man.Leo found that he had no desire to be introduced.

“Oboro,” Takumi said, “quit making that face.This is Leo, Prince of Nohr.”

Leo hadn’t thought it possible, but Oboro’s scowl seemed to deepen before it passed.“If my lord orders it,” Oboro said.

“Leo is my friend,” Takumi said.There was something in his tone—too soft to be a warning—that Leo couldn’t quite place.

Oboro looked to Leo.Without the scowl, she actually had a very nice face, but the memory of her earlier expression was too fresh.“Hello, milord,” Oboro said.

“Hello, Oboro,” Leo said, bowing slightly in hopes of appeasing the she-devil.“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Oboro didn’t respond to him.

“Lord Takumi,” she said to Takumi, “if you require anything, Hinata and I are only a call away.”

Takumi’s smile hadn’t yet disappeared.“I can always count on you two,” he said, “but right now I don’t require anything.You may go.”

Hesitating but a moment, Oboro disappeared from the window, and Takumi turned back toward Leo.

“I’m sorry for Oboro’s rudeness,” Takumi said, looking at the floor.“She has an undeniable reason to hate Nohr.”

“I understand,” Leo said.Really, he didn’t—how could you hate an entire nation?—but he didn’t want to dwell on the matter too long.His face still burned from embarrassment, and his pulse was only just starting to go back down after the scare.

Takumi didn’t look ready to let it go just yet.“Leo,” he said, “I want you to know that I mean it.”

“Mean what?”

“I consider you a friend,” he said.His eyes looked so open… Leo only just barely kept himself from swallowing, knowing that Takumi would notice.He couldn’t—Leo couldn’t risk this for—

“We _are_ friends,” Leo said, the words sticking in his throat.“Now, shall we make the stock?”

* * *

Leo’s face had been so white, Takumi’s first reaction had been to laugh.  Takumi had thought Leo unflappable—or, at least, afraid of nothing.  That Oboro had thrown him in such a way seemed comical.

Or, it did until Takumi sat down to think about it.Leo would be watching the pot for the next hour while the bones and vegetables simmered to make sure that they cooked undisturbed, which left Takumi with time on his hands to consider things.He had strapped a target to a tree, but it couldn’t hold his attention.

He wanted—

No.He licked his lips.They were dry from just how many times he’d done that in the past few days.There was no use thinking about it—him—

Takumi groaned and lowered his bow.He couldn’t concentrate.

An arrow whizzed over his left shoulder and brought him back to himself.

“My,” a voice drawled, “I didn’t see you there.”

Takumi spun to see—

“You,” he said, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Niles stood smirking a few meters away.He lowered his bow slowly.Takumi noted distantly that Niles had hit the center of the target.

“So sorry,” Niles said, utterly unrepentant.“I can’t resist shooting at an easy target.”

Takumi fought to urge to get mad.This man was one of Leo’s retainers, presumably hand-picked.

“You’re one of Leo’s retainers,” he said instead.

“That’s right,” Niles drawled, “and you’re the Hoshidan prince who’s drawn his attention.Tell me, what do you want from milord?”

“He’s my friend,” Takumi said defiantly.

Niles arched an eyebrow.“Oh?” he asked, tilting his head.“Is that it?”

Perhaps Takumi was distracted, or maybe Niles was just fast, because in a few short moments Niles was right next to Takumi, gripping him firmly by the shoulders as he spoke low into his ear.

“You harm milord,” he said, “and you’ll regret the day you ever laid eyes on him.”

Takumi yanked himself away.“He’s my friend,” he repeated.“I wish him no ill will.”

The look in Niles’ eye was something predatory.

“Have you never hurt someone close to you?” Niles taunted.

“Niles!”

Another voice drew Takumi’s attention.A man in a ridiculous yellow costume came into view, popping suddenly out from between the trees.

“Odin,” Niles said, “I thought I told you to keep an eye on Prince Leo.Has something happened?”

Odin grinned and made some sort of flourishing pattern with his finger and winked.

“Fear not, Odin Dark has seen all!” he proclaimed.“Prince Leo has sent me forthwith to retrieve you, my dark companion!”Niles scowled and turned toward Odin.“Ah, and do I spy Prince Takumi with you?The shining Prince of Hoshido!A tremendous coincidence!Milord feared he might find you two together, but never worry, oh scion of the light, for my liege, the fell Prince of Nohr, has given me explicit instruction to rectify the situation!”

Takumi couldn’t help but laugh, if only for a moment.“What was that?”

Odin’s smile faltered for just a moment.“To speak plainly, Prince Leo has informed me that any threats my companion Niles may have made against you are unfounded.You are held in milord’s highest esteem.I have been sent to return Niles to his side.”

Takumi nodded slightly.“I understand your concern,” he said to Niles, “but I assure you, I mean Leo no harm.He’s…”Takumi hesitated to find the right word, aware of Niles’ perceptive stare.“He’s my friend,” he said for the third time, feeling foolish.

“Right,” Niles said, drawing out the syllable.“Well, for the duration of your _friendship_ , you are safe.But rest assured, should you fall out of milord’s favor…”

“I get it,” Takumi snapped, stepping away.He turned his back on the two retainers and collected his things before making to head back to base.He wished it didn’t feel so much like running, but how was he supposed to explain that what he felt for Leo was a little something more than _friendship_?


End file.
